The present invention is directed to an electroplating apparatus for plating plate-shaped workpieces, including perforated printed circuit boards, as the workpieces move through the apparatus along a horizontal path. The apparatus includes at least one electrode arranged above and at least one electrode arranged under the horizontal path and extending parallel thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,967, whose disclosure is incorporated by reference, discloses an electroplating apparatus in which a plate member is moved in a horizontal path between an upper anode and a lower anode. The feed of the plate-shaped workpieces occurs via driven contact wheels which are arranged along one side of the bath and simultaneously assume the cathodic contacting of the workpiece. A special sliding fastening in the bath is arranged at that side, which lies opposite the contact wheels for guiding and holding the workpiece. The anode arranged in the electrolytic bath are soluble anodes rods which are aligned to extend transversey relative to the through-put horizontal path and are arranged both above as well as below the horizontal path. According to a modification, the upper and lower anodes, however, can also be formed by titanium baskets which contain the soluble anode material in the form of balls. Blast connections or jet connections, to which the electrolyte solution is supplied from a reservoir by means of a multitude of immersion pumps, are arranged in the collecting tank of the electroplating apparatus and extend aligned with the through-put direction above and below the horizontal through-put path. In addition to replenishing the bath zone to the desired level, the high flow rate of the electrolyte solution through these jets or connections also create a good, thorough mixing of the electrolyte solution, which is intended to guarantee a uniform composition and uniform current density. In order to create an even greater turbulence in the bath, the jet connections can also be moved back and forth horizontally or in the direction of travel of the workpiece through the bath.